Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Morphs: A Digimorphs Tale ❯ Forbidden Legacy ( Chapter 18 )

Digimon / Digital Monsters and all related trademarks belong are copyright to Toei animation / Saban entertainment. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission.

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"Hey! Can't you at least stop for a second?! Hey!" Steve yelled, furiously waving his claws about. "Crap! Yargh!"

The Flamedramon had to jump off the tracks as a Trailmon Franken nearly ran him over.

"Sorry buddy, I have a schedule to keep!" The Trailmon called as it disappeared into the distance.

That left Steve standing alone, beside the train tracks, in the middle of the desert. And in addition to that, he was completely lost and famished.

"Geez! Doesn't anybody listen around here?!" He moaned, dropping to his knees. "If this keeps up, I'm gonna.....gonna..."

Suddenly, he snapped up, staring with his eyes wide open. Just several feet across the tracks was a nicely decorated table, with an entire 12 course meal set up. Steve couldn't think of anything but rushing for it.

Unfortunately, it was also too good to be true.

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Steve screamed as he bit into a large boulder, hurting both his fangs and his pride. "NOT AGAIN!!!!!"

It had been another mirage, like the many others he'd seen. Frustrated, Steve banged his head on the rock.

"All right, I'm losing it." He admitted. "And it's not because I'm stuck in a dragon's body, but cause I'm lost in the middle of a f***ing desert!!!"

Taking a few moments to rest, he considered the possibilities....none of them good at all.

(A thought bubble appears, showing himself as Flamedramon trudging along in the desert. A sandstorm blows past, and when it's gone, only a dragoniod skeleton is left, which crumbles into pieces. Another gust of wind then sends the skull rolling away.)

Starvation, dehydration, sandstorms, being run over... Steve cringed. Everyone has to be doing better than me right now....

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"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Janet yelled, barely able to avoid another huge burst of flames.

She ducked into an alcove and held her breath as the footsteps of the BlackGrowlmon rumbled past her and slowly faded down the winding tunnels.

After a few tense seconds, Janet risked a peek out.

"I think I lost him..." She gasped.

Then, she felt a warm breath against the back of her neck.

"Boo!" A voice snarled.

Screaming, she dove around the corner and pressed her back to a wall as a column of flames rocketed past. Panting wildly, she struggled to catch her breath.

"Gargh...whew...huh?!" Janet realized the tip of her tail had been sticking out and was now on fire. "ARGH! OW! OW! OW!!"

Much to the amusement of her opponent, she started stamping on her own tail to put out the flames.

"Hey look! A Charmander!" Dynamo teased.

"Grrrr! Fireball!"

"Heh." Dynamo chuckled, catching the projectile and crushing it in his claws. "Let me show you what a real fireball looks like!"

"Ugh-oh...."

Why does this always happen to me?!

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Ophanimon shoved Zoe to the ground and swung her javelin, deflecting one of the Metal Tyranomon's missiles into the other. The collision took out both projectiles, but also injured Ophanimon since she was too close to the blast.

One of the mechanical dinosaurs charged and Ophanimon summoned a shield in her other hand to block its claw swipes. She thrust her javelin forward several times, forcing it back. The second chose this moment to attack, firing at Ophanimon from the side.

She was barely able to swing her shield round in time, and the attack shattered the shield, throwing Ophanimon to the side.

"Ophanimon!" Zoe cried, helping her up.

"I'm all right." The female angel nodded. "Through that might not be for much longer..."

"I can help you!" Zoe insisted. "I can...ugh...still fight."

"We have to use the enemy's strengths against each other." Ophanimon hinted.

One of the Metal Tyranomon raised its right arm to fire, but Ophanimon managed to throw her javelin in time, impaling its knee. As the creature stumbled, the other one moved in to attack. Zoe then realized what her companion meant.

Leaping forward, she twisted the fallen one's arm, pointing it straight at the other dinosaur.

The resulting explosion both disintegrated the Metal Tyranomon and sent Zoe flying into a wall. However, the wounded one was not defeated yet, and pointed its weapon at the fallen XV-mon.

"Sefirot Crystal!" Ophanimon launched her projectile weapon, a circle of 7 shinning crystals.

The attack threw the mechanical beast over, tearing a large hole in its body. Even as the Metal Tyranomon let off its ear-splitting death screams, it continued firing its Giga Destroyer II missiles wildly.

Zoe covered her head as rock fragments flew everywhere. All the missiles being fired about would cause the cavern to collapse at any second. She was so distracted by this that Zoe didn't notice the attack coming until it was too late.

"Lightning Spear!"

Screaming, Zoe closed her eyes, only to be pushed away by Ophanimon.

"ARGH!!"

"Ophanimon!"

"Humph, don't worry, it's just a scratch." Ophanimon muttered, rubbing her waist, where the Lightning Spear had grazed her.

"You won't get away from me!" Cherubimon declared. "Lightning Spear!"

"Sefirot Crystal!"

The two energy bursts collided, creating a blinding flash that caused Zoe to stumble backwards.

<Go! Fly straight up! One of the missiles created an opening that leads to the chamber above!> Ophanimon called out. <I know you can make it!>

"But, how about you...?" Zoe uncovered her eyes to find Ophanimon and Cherubimon squaring off in the middle of the chamber.

<You are one of the Chosen Warriors. Your destiny lies elsewhere.> Ophanimon replied without looking back. <However, this here is my fight.>

"Heaven's Judgement!" Cherubimon unleashed a barrage of dark energy.

Ophanimon leapt in front of Zoe to block the attack, then grabbed her and tossed her upwards.

"Go please!"

Reluctantly, Zoe spread her wings and flew for the hole. It wasn't just Ophanimon's insistence, but the impending collapse of the cavern that forced her to pump all her energy into her wings. Ophanimon stayed slightly behind, blocking and deflecting a frustrated Cherubimon's Lightning Spears.

The hole was a lot smaller and Zoe wasn't able to use her wings. That forced her to climb by digging her claws into the rock and pulling herself up.

"Ophanimon?!" Zoe called, glancing down.

<Keep going! This explosion is going to be big!> Ophanimon ordered.

Zoe could practically feel the immense amount of energy building up on the chamber below. Reaching out with her special senses, she managed to get a glimpse of the scenario playing out below.

"NO! I will not lose!!" Cherubimon roared, leaping towards the tunnel. "ARGH!!"

Ophanimon rammed him, using her body weight to force him back down.

"Fool! We'll both die at this rate!!"

"If you die, then it is your loss." Ophanimon replied. "But for me, I still win."

"Ophanimon!!" Zoe cried desperately.

Zoe's Digivice flashed as Ophanimon's symbol appeared on its screen.

"I'm sorry I could not answer your questions, child." Ophanimon's voice spoke softly. "These are answers you must discover on your own."

"Ophanimon!!!!"

Zoe was suddenly grabbed and dragged out of the cramped tunnel, barely in time to avoid being cooked by the pillar of flames that shot upwards.

"Here! This way!" Michael shouted, pulling her to the side.

The Angemon urged her down the path as the entire section of the cavern collapsed behind them.

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"Now I've got you!" Dynamo grinned. "We're gonna finish this right here and right now!"

Janet cringed, backing into a corner. She was at a dead end and didn't have anywhere else to run.

"Any last words, princess?"

"Urk....erm...DUCK!"

"Huh?!" Dynamo absently mindedly lowered his head....and allowed a small shiny object to go sailing over.

"Nice one Michael!" Janet called happily, clutching the Digivice in the palm of her claw.

"Dammit!" Dynamo cursed, lifting his head up so fast that it hit the ceiling. "D'oh!!"

Janet lifted her right claw and a single ring of blue Digicode formed around it.

"Guilmon evolves…" Closing her eyes, she brought it to touch her chest, resulting in a reddish light forming around her body. Blue rings of Digicode joined the light as her Rookie form begun to melt away and change. "…Growlmon!"

With a roar, she rammed Dynamo with her shoulder, slamming him into a wall.

"Haha! This is when I like being a BIG dinosaur!" She laughed. "Hey, Michael! Zoe! You two all right?"

"I'll make it." Zoe, who was leaning on Michael's shoulder, nodded.

"Good thing we managed to find you in time." Michael added in.

"Rrraagggrrr...." Dynamo moaned, pulling himself to his feet.

"Exhaust Flame!" Janet fired off an attack that took him down again.

"Great work, but hold still for a while." Zoe flew up and pulled a shinny, glittering object off her left shoulder.

"What's that?"

"A holographic chip. Dynamo there used it to trick you into thinking a Devimon was at the museum."

"Sneaky b**tard!" Janet growled, glaring at her fallen opponent.

"Don't feel too bad. He got me with it too."

"Oh yeah! Guys, BlackSeraphimon has the Scared Crystal!" Janet told her friends. "He's headed for the Angel's Lands above! You have to find a way to stop him! I'll join you after I take care of this clown!"

"You sure you'll be OK?" Zoe asked, concerned.

"I can go Mega if I have to!" Janet replied. "I'll be fine! Just hurry and go!"

Dynamo had recovered by this time and was about to attack when Janet tackled him again, shoving him down into another passageway, giving Zoe and Michael enough time to clear out of the area.

Gargh! Got to finish this quickly! Janet thought, struggling against Dynamo's powerful grasp.

She pushed Dynamo off her and activated her next evolution level. Bringing up claws, a single ring of Digicode formed around each one. Growling, she brought both together and crossed them in front of her face. The Matrix Evolution symbol, a pair of red and black overlapping triangles, formed in front of her claws.

"Growlmon evolves.... MegaloGrowmon!"

"Looks pretty impressive princess." Dynamo whistled.

"Atomic Blaster!"

"WHOA!!" The black dinosaur rolled away as Janet's attack blew a large hole in the spot he'd been standing on.

"I can do more that look impressive." Janet snarled.

"Well, two can play the evolution game!" Dynamo grinned, his body suddenly glowing in a purple light. "BlackGrowlmon evolves.....Black MegaloGrowmon!!"

Janet found herself staring up at an opponent who generally reassembled herself, except that the metallic parts of his body were a darker gray and the scaly parts a deep black. Unfortunately for Janet, he was about a head and neck larger, and certainly seemed more muscular in built.

"And you thought you were one of a kind, eh princess?" Dynamo taunted, clicking his cybernetic claws. "Well, guess you were wrong!"

"Holy shit...."

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"Can you make it?" Michael asked with concern.

"I'll manage." Zoe panted. "I have to."

"You shouldn't over exert yourself." Michael replied as the pair approached the elevator.

"No, I owe it to Ophanimon." Zoe insisted.

Nodding, Michael helped her into the elevator and pushed a button.

"I fear that the Master of the Underworld is very powerful." Michael admitted. "I wonder how our troops are going to handle him."

"Not with brute force, but strategy."

"Sounds like you have something in mind."

"Well, basically that we have to get the Sacred Crystal away from BlackSeraphimon and back to its proper place. That'll work, right?"

"The crystal creates a barrier that prevents larger demons from entering our lands, but if they're already in it, I'm not too sure what will happen. Even so, obtaining the Sacred Crystal will not be easy. The Master of the Underworld will be expecting it from Lord Seraphimon and will not give it up for anything, no less bring it back to its place at the museum."

"Actually, he just might." Zoe grinned, holding up Dynamo's holographic chip. "Any computers we can use around here?"

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"Seven Heavens!"

"Seven Hells!"

The two shimmering projectile clashed, creating a brilliant flash of colors.

"Humph, still as good as ever, I see." BlackSeraphimon taunted.

"Vile creature of darkness! Leave these lands or suffer the wraith of the high heavens!" Seraphimon declared, facing his evil counterpart.

Their battlefield was at the front of the crystal palace, both flanked by many of their respective troops. Throughout all of the Angel's Lands, no battle was even half as fierce as the one about to unfold.

"Never Seraphimon! I've awaited an eternity for this! ATTACK!!"

With that, the area exploded into a chaotic mingle of explosions, shouts and bright lights.

Amongst the clashes of the angel and devil Digimon, Seraphimon and BlackSeraphimon faced each other in a ferocious duel. The two armored figures threw off several projectile attacks before charging into close combat. Seraphimon blocked a couple of punches from his dark counterpart and managed to kick the fallen angel to the ground.

However, he spotted one of his generals, Slash Angemon (Guardian Angemon from Digimon World 3), being assaulted by a Skull Satamon. As the bladed angel received an energy blast in the chest, Seraphimon leapt up behind the demon and grabbed it from behind.

"Testament!" He shouted, sending lightning bolts through Skull Satamon's body, disintegrating him completely.

"Behind you!" Slash Angemon warned.

It was a little too late as BlackSeraphimon's attack struck Seraphimon from behind.

"AARRGGGHH!!! Seven Heavens!"

BlackSeraphimon grabbed a nearby Devimon and used him as a shield to block Seraphimon's counterattack.

"That the best you can do?! Seven Hells!!"

The explosive blast knocked Slash Angemon unconscious and threw Seraphimon into the wall of the crystal palace. As he struggled to stand, BlackSeraphimon triumphantly walked over and kicked him multiple times in the chest.

"This is the...URRGHH!!" BlackSeraphimon's gloating was cut off when a Paildramon rammed him from behind.

"Hey you! Looking for this?!" Zoe taunted, waving her claw.

"What the?!" BlackSeraphimon stared, seeing she had the Sacred Crystal within her grasp. "Give that back you wretch!!"

"I'm going to put it back, so try and stop me!" Zoe made a face before taking to the sky. "See ya!!"

"WHY YOU!!!!" BlackSeraphimon roared, immediately giving chase.

Watching the entire scene, a weakened and confused Seraphimon staggered to his feet.

"That's strange. She wasn't holding anything, but why did BlackSeraphimon think so?"

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"RRRRRRAAAAGHHHH!!!!!"

"RRRRRUUUUUAAAAGGG!!!"

The echoes of the two mechanical dinosaurs filled the caverns as the pair continuously slammed each other into the walls, causing chunks of rock to keep tumbling down.

With both their claws locked, Janet managed to twist her large body enough to attack with her tail. That was enough to force Dynamo to let go and allow her to shove him away.

"Double Edge!" She roared, leaping forward with her bladed arms outstretched.

"Hargh!!" Dynamo spun to the side, sending her flying into a rocky wall.

Janet crashed headlong, rolling over so her head was on the ground with the rest of her body propped up against the wall.

"I have you now!! Atomic Blaster!!"

The huge explosion shook the entire cavern. When the smoke cleared, nothing was left but a big hole on Janet's former position.

"Haha!" Dynamo laughed. "Sorry princess. Guess you...huh?!"

Suddenly, Janet's MegaloGrowmon claws burst out from the ground beneath him, grasped onto his ankles and twisted hard. That resulted in an utterly loud snap.

"AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGHHHH!!! Dammit!!! My ankles!! You broke my ankles you b**ch!!"

"Oh, you expecting an apology for that?!" Jan roared, digging her way out from beneath. "Well, here's mine!!"

Janet lifted her opponent up above her head, spun round several times and hurled him into the wall.

"GGGGAARRGGGHHHH!!! OOWWW!!!"

Now's my chance! She realized.

A multi layered ring of Digicode formed around Janet's right claw as she crossed her arms in front of her body. The D-Dragon's 'eyes' then begun glowing and she brought it together with the Digicode ring.

"Matrix Evolution!"

(Surrounded in red light, Janet's MegaloGrowmon body melted away, revealing the outline of a human beneath. Letting off a roar, she threw her arms open, allowing a new layer of armor to form around her body in a Spirit Evolution style animation.)

"Dukemon!"

"Hey! Mega against Ultimate isn't fair!" Dynamo protested from his spot on the floor.

"Look who's talking." The white knight growled, bringing up her lance.

"Atomic Blaster!!" Dynamo hadn't given up through, and started firing wildly.

With some help from her Aegis shield, Janet managed to move in.

"Royal saber!" Launching a series of lightning fast jabs, she took off both of the Black MegaloGrowmon's mechanical arms, as well as disabled his chest-mounted cannons.

With that done, she jumped back and charged up the energy beam from her shield.

However, as she did so, another symbol flashed. It wasn't just the Matrix Evolution symbol (the two overlapping triangles) which adorned the shield that was glowing, but something else as well.

This symbol happened to be the same one Janet had been worried about earlier, the one that also decorated Guilmon's chest and hands.

"Oh shit....the Digital Hazard...." Dynamo looked up just in time to see the glowing lights. "This is gonna hurt...."

"Final Elysian!"

"RRRRGGGUUUAARRGGHH!!!" Screaming, Dynamo was once again sent flying into a wall. Only this time, his head became stuck in the rock, leaving the armless dinosaur to wiggle about helplessly.

"Now, it's really game over for you!" Janet shouted. "Final....WHOA!!!"

She stumbled as the cave shook. All the fighting was about to bring the whole cavern down on their heads. Ignoring the cries of her immobilized opponent, Janet immediately turned and ran, determined not to be buried alive.

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"Grrr...give my crystal back!!" BlackSeraphimon fumed.

"Technically, I can't cause it isn't even yours!" Zoe called back.

The dark warrior wasn't as fast as her, and Zoe was able to keep a relatively safe distance between the two of them. Winding and twisting, she managed to lead him between the roads and buildings, straight into the museum.

Immediately, BlackSeraphimon found himself surrounded by a squad of Angemon guards.

"Ha! Think you puny soldiers will be enough to stop me?! Seven Hells!!" BlackSeraphimon began firing off his seven fireballs, only to find that they simply passed through the Angemon. "What the?!"

"Holy Rod!"

"Guargh! What?!" BlackSeraphimon stumbled, having taken a blow to the back of his head.

"I've got it!" Michael shouted. "Catch Zoe!"

He tossed the shiny crystal through the air, landing it neatly in Zoe's claws. BlackSeraphimon punched him out a window for that and turned his entire focus on the Paildramon.

"How?! I've had the Sacred Crystal all along?!" He wondered. Then, he felt something at his neck and reached up to pull a holographic chip off. "Tricked by illusions?! Damn it all!!!"

"Hurry, place the crystal back on the platform at the level below!" Seraphimon ordered, barging in through the front door.

"Got it!" Zoe replied, leaping down the stairs.

"Nice try girl, but you won't fool me again!" BlackSeraphimon laughed. "And I almost thought that was the real Seraphimon."

"Correction, I AM the real Seraphimon." The armored angel lifted his fist. "After all, could an illusion do this?!"

WHAM!!

Seraphimon followed up with two more punches before making a flying tackle that took this opponent to the ground.

"HURRY!!!" Seraphimon called desperately.

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"Almost there...." Heart pounding, Zoe raced forward and slammed the Sacred Crystal onto its platform.

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, the crystal abruptly emitted a blinding light. Zoe tried to let go, but found her claws were somehow stuck to the crystal.

"Hey?! What gives?!" She gasped, squinting. "Huh?! RRRRAAAAGGHHHHH!!!"

Suddenly, she felt a tremendous surge of energy coursing through her entire body. The pain was so intense that she barely managed to stay conscious.

Rainbow colored lights then burst out from the crystal. They flew out of the building and engulfed every devil and demon currently in the Angel's Lands. All around, the angel soldiers stared in awe as their foes mysteriously began screaming in pain.

In the midst of her agony, Zoe finally managed to draw her left hand away from the crystal. Instinctively, it went for the Digivice on her belt. Althrough she couldn't see it, Zoe felt it changing.

It became more elongated, with two points emerging from the top corners as if they were horns. Two small slits like eyes appeared and a main screen where an open mouth should've been. The bottom, 'pointed' end gained a decorative pattern, making it look like a pair of jaws with sharp teeth.

It too was now a D-Dragon, sapphire blue in color with green eyes and teeth.

Finally, the crystal released its hold on her and Zoe soared up to where BlackSeraphimon and Seraphimon were. The former was furiously resisting the holy lights of the crystal while the latter lay aside, exhausted from his previous injuries.

Glowing with the Sacred Crystal's energy, Zoe brought her blasters up. Letting off a thunderous roar, the she fired. Then, time seemed to slow to a stop as a gigantic shadow appeared behind her.

It was a slightly larger dragon, the outline of its body shimmering in bluish light, something like a ghost or spirit. It was mainly black armored with bits of a blue and white body showing. With a quadruped form, leathery red wings, golden spikes, claws and a cannon mounted on its back, it would've been a truly intimidating sight if anyone had been able to see it clearly.

However, what everyone could definitely see was the powerful blue laser that shot out next....most of all BlackSeraphimon.

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

And with him, went all the rest of his troops.

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"Ow....Zoe, you're a sight for sore eyes."

"Jan, I'd hit you really hard right now if I weren't bandaged up like a mummy." Zoe growled, wiggling slightly.

Several days had passed since the great battle and Janet was now sitting beside Zoe's bed in the hospital. Both were back to their Guilmon and XV-mon forms respectively, although Zoe's had taken quite a beating.

"Hey, don't move too much." Janet lightly touched her friend's shoulder. "The hospital staff had enough trouble with you yelling in your sleep."

"How do you think it was for me?!" Zoe practically yelled. "They bandaged my mouth shut! And they tried to shove a pill like, twice the size of my gullet down my throat. And they call themselves doctors?!"

"Looking at this, I wonder if you really did evolve to Mega level?" Janet wondered, holding up Zoe's new D-Dragon.

"I already said, I can't remember. All I could think off was blasting BlackSeraphimon to scrap....and BOOM! It happened!"

"Well, the boys are gonna be so jealous when they hear about it." Janet laughed.

"Say, that reminds me, we're supposed to be looking for them." Zoe spoke.

"Yeah, you're right. Any idea how?"

"It'll come to me." Zoe winked. "I'm a psychic, you know?"

"Are you serious Zoe?"

"Trust me." Zoe grinned. "I'll have help in high places."

Watching silently from the doorway, Seraphimon quietly closed it, nodding to Michael. The pair decided to leave the girls to their own conversation.

However, Seraphimon hesitated for a while and glanced back.

"Thank you, Ophanimon." He whispered.

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Meanwhile, much further down the mountain, several rocks shook. Slowly, they were moved as a small hole appeared in the dirt. Finally, a large dinosaur head burst out of the ground.

"Gargh!! Whew!!! Man, I thought I was gonna die!!!" Dynamo moaned.

After all those long, excruciating days he'd finally managed to dig his way out from under the collapsed cavern. It would take a lot more work to get the rest of his body free, but for now, he just lay his chin down on the ground and breathed in the fresh air.

The sounds of footsteps caused Dynamo to snap his head up, catching sight of a very human-like Digimon. This one was dressed in a black suit, with 5 pairs of wings on his back. However, the wings on his right side were feathery and angelic, while those on the left were bat-like. Another pair of much smaller 'wings' on his head also matched this pattern. He had pointed elf-like ears and long blond hair hanging down over his face, which was also decorated with several strange patterns.

"Oh, it's you. Hey, things got a little messed up here." Dynamo said. "Erm...actually, it's BlackSeraphimon and Cherubimon who screwed up. I did everything you told me to, so it's not my fault. So, erm....do I still get paid?"

"You never fail to amuse me." The dark figure muttered, tossing a leather bag onto the floor. "Ah well, you did achieve your main objective of collecting information at least, so I'll give you some credit for that."

"Some credit?! That girl had the full power of the Digital Hazard!! I had to dig my way out using my mouth and tongue because of that!!"

"The Digital Hazard? Hmmm...you sure about that?"

"Positive! That thing's a trademark of my species, through not all of us can fully tap into its power like she could."

"I highly doubt the girl even knew what she was doing."

"Yeah, I know." Dynamo nodded. "They say you have to be able not only utilize, but control its power. Or else, you'll be completely overwhelmed, driven far beyond madness."

"Think you're up to the job?"

"Me? Of course! If I could get a hold of her Digital Hazard, I could show you what I can really do!"

"Hmmm....that just might be possible."

"Huh? Really?" Dynamo gasped.

"I'll hire you for another job. A much more, important one. Meet me back at the usual place once you're free."

"Hey, you've got yourself a deal!" Dynamo grinned. "And...erm....could you....erm....could you help me out of here, boss? Please?"

"You're a technical expert Dynamo, so I assume you'll be able to figure out how to do that yourself." His boss waved, casually playing with his long hair. "Well, see you later."

"Boss! Hey! Please!!"

Unfortunately the other Digimon had already departed, his footsteps fading into the distance. Groaning, Dynamo's head flopped down on the ground again.

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"Gargh! Argh!"

"Will you sit down?! You certainly have a lot of energy for someone who's supposed to be half dead. Then again, you've been out for pretty much a week now."

"Huh? Oh...." Steve muttered, glancing around, blinking to clear out his blurred vision.

"By the way, that's two you owe me kid."

"Huh...you...you're BlackWargreymon!"

"Hmm...glad you still remember." The black, armor clad figure replied, folding his arms.

Steve now took note of their surroundings, finding that they were in some sort of large tent.

"Uh, exactly where are we?" Steve asked.

"This is a small Oasis Town, somewhat at the edge of the Araid Desert. I found you several miles away from here and brought you in. Let's just say you're lucky I happened to be making a little trip."

"All the way from that ocean city?!"

"Well, I took a Trailmon most of the way. That's what they're there for. Or perhaps you didn't know that they'll only stop at designated Trailmon stations?"

(Steve sweatdrops.)

"Thought so." BlackWargreymon huffed. "That's one of the things that made me suspect it was you. Only a kid from another world wouldn't know something like that. Or be stupid enough to go wandering in the Araid Desert without any supplies for that matter."

"Thanks a lot, old man." Steve muttered. "By the way.....erm.....any chances of there being something to eat and drink around here?"

BlackWargreymon simply pointed to a tray of food and a jug of water on a table next to his cot. Steve immediately leapt on them and devoured everything with such an utter lack of table manners that even BlackWargreymon snorted in disgust.

"Will you chill out, old timer? I'm famished here!" Steve grunted.

"Old timer huh? That's something you'll never be if you don't take better care of yourself." BlackWargreymon growled. "Well, I'd better get going. I'm supposed to be meeting someone here. He paid a generous sum to have me look at a couple of ancient artifacts he's found."

"You know about these sorts of things?" Steve looked up.

"I do a decent amount of research."

"Hey, then maybe before you go, could you tell me anything about this?" Steve dug up the Dragon Dagger he'd acquired not too long ago and held it up in the light.

"This...." BlackWargreymon sheathed his claw weapons and took the small dagger in hand.

"A couple of goons were chasing me for this thing, so I was wondering if it was something important."

"Could this be....?"

"You recognize it?" Steve leaned forward.

BlackWargreymon got out a PDA and brought an image up onto the screen.

"This must be the Dragon Dagger, one of the four legendary dragon artifacts."

"Legendary artifacts?!"

"A set of four weapons: sword, shield, dagger and staff. It is said that in times long forgotten, a great beast with unimaginable power was defeated by four holy warriors using these sacred Dragon weapons. Having been used to seal the creature, it charged the four weapons with mysterious powers."

"I have a feeling there's more." Steve muttered.

"Indeed, stories tell of many abilities gained by bringing these weapons together, such as traveling through time and even different worlds. However, the darker side comes about when the creature is brought back into existence. One supposed needs to spill a Holy Dragon's blood to call forth this unknown beast."

So, that's it...Steve thought, fingering the small dagger. Maybe, maybe it just might be true. If we could get these four Dragon artifacts together we just might have a way to get back to our own world!!

BlackWargreymon noticed the change of mood on the younger dragon's face, but decided to remain silent....for now.

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"You know I do not make such deals about my children." D'Arcmon spoke, walking down the hallway of frozen Digimon with another humanoid figure, who was clad in pink armor with several yellow ribbons hanging from his arms and shoulders. "Why do you still persist, Mr. Junon?"

"You can cut the act out my friend. My boss knows all about you and your little 'look nice' scheme." Junon growled. He was a masked warrior known as RhodoKnightmon (or LordKnightmon, and in the dub Crusadermon). "The name Lord Lucifer sound familiar to you?"

"Ah, Lucifer is it? So, you must be his right hand knight. I've heard a lot about this terror of the battlefield."

"The beauty of the battlefield is what I'd personally like to call myself." Junon replied, sniffing a rose in his hand. "A majestic warrior certainly shouldn't be devoid of a much more befitting title, wouldn't you agree?"

"That's your opinion." D'Arcmon growled. "Well, this is the one, correct?"

The pair paused, now standing in front of the petrified form of a red dragon which was posed in a ferocious-looking battle stance. It was none other than the Vritramon otherwise know as Sekata.

"This one was a rather, 'difficult' persona. With all due respect, I hope Lucifer knows I won't be giving him up cheaply."

"Name your price." Junon muttered, folding his arms.